


Love Me Tender

by AutumnRose137



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Cheese, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Light Angst, Lots of references to old love songs, Masturbation, Mild Hurt/Comfort, POV Alternating, Rey Needs A Hug, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:27:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25622869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutumnRose137/pseuds/AutumnRose137
Summary: Rey moves to a new city for grad school and finds out her new roommate is her childhood best friend and first kiss, Ben Solo. Too bad he doesn't seem as enthusiastic about the situation as she is. She's determined to be friends again if it's the last thing she does. Just friends... right...
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 10
Kudos: 29





	Love Me Tender

**Author's Note:**

> The childhood friends/roommates AU that no one asked for, with lots of Oldies references! I really hope the musical references add to the romance aspect of this and don't just come across as cheesy (although let's face it, I'm basically made of cheese).  
> I hope you guys enjoy!

So. Many. Boxes.

Rey sat with her best friend Rose in the middle of the floor of her childhood bedroom, surrounded by boxes. You never realize how much stuff you have until you have to move it. Directly in front of her is a shoebox of old photos that she found hidden away on a shelf in the closet. 

“I don’t care what anyone says, those butterfly clips were hot shit. I’d wear them now if I could find any”, Rose proclaims as she holds up a picture of Rey from 7th grade wearing ENTIRELY too much denim and a row of blue butterfly-shaped clips in her light brown hair.

“Oh here’s one even better. I have no idea how Maz let me out of the house with that much eyeliner on; or how I managed to get that many jelly bracelets.”

“Aw, who’s this goofy looking kid with you in this one?” Rose holds out a photo of Rey standing in front of a tree. Next to her is a tall gangly boy with a mop of black hair and a crooked grin. His left arm is in a cast.

“Ben,” Rey replies wistfully, taking the picture from Rose. “He was my best friend back then. My only friend, really. We were 13, here, I think. This is the day after I accidentally made him fall out of our treehouse.”

“How do you accidentally make someone fall out of a treehouse?”

“Well…” Rey smiles softly at the memory. “I kissed him.”

“You what?! Rey “Never Makes The First Move” Johnson kissed a boy and made him fall out of a tree? Also, why would a kiss make him fall out of a tree?”

Rey laughs and gives Rose a playful shove. “Shut up. I liked him. I was a lot braver as a kid with that kind of stuff. As for him, I guess it was a shock? He was trying to step back and lost his footing and just fell.”

“What happened after that? You guys were so cute together! How come I’ve never heard about him until now?”

Rey’s smile falls. Even though they were just kids and it was so long ago, it still hurts a little to think about. “He moved away the next day. His dad had passed away recently and I guess his mom sold the house. He got back from the hospital and Maz and I went over to check on him. That’s when she took the picture. The next day he wasn’t in school. I came home and saw the moving trucks and their car pulling out of the driveway. I never got to say goodbye.”

“Well couldn’t you have called him? Or he could have called you?” Rose asks.

“I tried, but they changed numbers. His other friend Hux didn’t even have his new number, and he never called me. I don’t know why.”

“Oh, Rey. I’m so sorry.” Rose leans over and puts her arm around Rey’s shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze. “But hey, coming back to the present, how excited are you for grad school? I still can’t believe you got into Coruscant! You finally get to move to the big city, meet cool new people. You’ll probably become besties with your new roommate and forget all about me.” Rose pouts at the last bit.

“You have Finn, you’ll be fine without me. Besides, it’s not like you won’t be hearing from me pretty much every day. You know me and people, I doubt I’ll be making new friends right away, even with the roomie. At the very least, none that would ever be able to replace you,” Rey replies with a playful mocking tone. 

“You say that, but everyone loves you, Rey. You might not exactly be a social butterfly, but you’re a ball of sunshine and people gravitate toward that. Just be yourself and you’ll be fine.” Rose ruffles Rey’s hair playfully as she gets up to grab more boxes from the living room. 

While Rey is playing it cool for now, she actually is genuinely nervous about going to a new place and having to try and make new friends. She’s never been good at it. Up until she was 6 she had been in an orphanage, and never really got along with the other kids. When Maz adopted her and brought her here to Takodana, she had the same issue at school. Sure the other kids were nice enough, but they never really took an interest in her. She kept trying, but maybe she tried a little too hard or was too abrasive because she was quickly ignored or forgotten most of the time. That is - until Ben came along. He was always so quiet and reserved, but one day on the playground when she fell off the monkey bars, he was the first one at her side to see if she was okay. From that day forward, they were inseparable - right up until that day she came home from middle school and saw his mom’s car driving away for the last time. 

After that, she didn’t really have anyone else until her sophomore year in high school when she met Rose, and subsequently Finn. After a heated argument in their literature class about women’s roles in Science Fiction, she and Rose had both ended up being sent to the principal’s office for calling one boy a few choice names. They became fast friends throughout the rest of high school and ended up being roommates at Takodana University. 

Their lives seem to be going in different directions, now, though. Even though they had both taken a gap year and are now both pursuing careers as mechanical engineers, Rose decided to stay with Takodana U for grad school while Rey took the plunge and applied for Coruscant University. The program is much tougher, but it’s a larger city and she’ll have more opportunities after graduation. As much as she loves Rose and Finn and Maz, she’s always felt a little stifled in this small town. She wants to get out and see more of the world. It’s terrifying, knowing she’s going to be all alone again, but she knows if she doesn’t push herself, she’ll never be satisfied. 

“Hey, Maz has pizza! Let’s take a break!” Rose calls. Rey glances back at the photo of her and Ben and places it back in the box to be packed away later. Her heart feels a little heavy, but there’s no use ruminating on the past now. She wants to enjoy her last night with her family before her new life begins.

  
  


*************************

It’s late in the afternoon and the early September air is finally starting to cool by the time Rey is carrying the last box up to her new apartment on campus, full of the vintage records that she had collected over the years. Maz had introduced her to all the oldies that she had listened to in her youth, and Rey had always loved those old classics. Something about those love songs always brought her comfort, even if she hadn’t quite experienced anything like that herself yet. Maz had even gotten Rey her own record player when she was 10, and it was currently sitting upstairs in another box.

She glances up at the red brick building that will serve as her new home for the next year before walking into the lobby. She’s curious why she hasn’t met her roommate yet. She knows that he had already been living in the apartment, but that was it. In fact, the only reason she knows her roommate is a guy is because of the two women next door that she met this morning. Kaydel and Jannah had been very friendly upon seeing Rey bringing in her belongings. They told her that a guy had been living in that apartment for the last year, but that he rarely spoke so they didn’t know his name.

The elevator opens up and Rey is lost in thought, humming “La Vie En Rose” as she walks down the hall toward her door. She’s struggling with the weight of the box as she tries to open the door and can’t quite seem to get a grip on the knob. She’s braced against the frame trying to reach when the door suddenly opens and she stumbles, only to be caught at the shoulders by probably the largest hands she’s ever seen. 

“Sorry. Are you ok? I heard you at the door and thought you might need help,” a deep voice rumbles from above her.

“Yeah, I’m fine, thank you. I’m sorry, I’m so clumsy someti-” The words die in Rey’s throat as she regains her balance and tries to look up at presumably her new roommate. At eye level, though, she is met with only a broad chest in a tight black t-shirt that looks to be one good sneeze away from being ripped open. Craning her neck she looks up at this giant of a man, noticing his shaggy black hair and prominent nose. His eyes, though. A dark honey color, and so familiar… It takes her a moment of awkwardly looking at him as his face grows concerned, but her mouth falls open when it hits her. She had just seen those eyes yesterday, in a photograph.

“Ben?” she whispers in disbelief. It’s impossible, but she’s sure of it.

He gives her a confused look for a moment, scanning her face, and it’s obvious when the recognition hits. He swallows and pushes his lips together a bit, a movement she’s all too familiar with after all the time she had spent staring at his full mouth when they were teenagers.

“Rey?” he asks cautiously.

Her stomach flutters, both from hearing her name in that lovely baritone and from seeing Ben here in the flesh after so long. When she found that picture yesterday it had started to bloom, but now she’s fully realizing how much she missed him all these years. Without even thinking she plops the box she’s holding down to the floor beside her and promptly flings herself at Ben, wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight hug.

“I can’t believe it’s you! I never thought I would see you again, much less be roommates! I was so worried I’d end up sharing this place with some asshole. This is great!”   
  


Ben seems unsure how to respond to her embrace, his hands awkwardly in the air for a few moments before lightly patting her on the back. “Yeah. Great. This is… great.”

Rey looks up to see his face pulled down in an expression that would probably best be described as a scowl. She loosens her grip and gives him a worried look.

“What’s wrong? This seems like it would be great. We used to be best friends, we can catch up and -”

“‘Used to be’. We haven’t been friends in a long time. A lot has changed since then, Rey, we’re not those kids anymore.” He pushes her back slightly and steps away, crossing his arms over his chest. Rey just looks at him in utter disbelief, and he lets out a sigh as he runs his hand over his face.

“Look, I’m sorry. It’s just… a lot to take in. I’m used to being alone, so I was already a little pissed about getting a roommate. It’s kind of a shock to not only find out my new roommate is someone I know, but that it’s you, of all people.”   
  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rey asks with brows furrowed. She’s starting to get a little offended by all this.

“Come on, Rey, you remember just as well as I do how things went down back then. I know we were kids but -”

“Ben what the hell are you talking about? We were inseparable right up until -”

“You know what? I’m not going to discuss this right now,” he snaps as he starts to walk away. “Or ever, for that matter. It’s time to let the past die, Rey. I’m not that same dumbass kid that followed you around like a fucking lost puppy. Whatever we had back then, it’s gone and as far as I’m concerned, you’re a stranger to me. We might have to be roommates but that doesn’t mean we have to be friends. Make yourself comfortable, I’m going to bed.”

Before Rey can even say another word, Ben is down the hall and his door shuts behind him. She’s left standing, mouth agape, in the living room looking at unfamiliar furniture, a closed door, and all of her earthly possessions in boxes and she’s never felt more alone.

**Author's Note:**

> Rey is turning out to be more horny than I initially intended, but oh well! I'm already working on the next chapter, so I'll have that out soon.
> 
> Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/SoloInDisguise) for random thoughts and a lot of Adam thirst.


End file.
